Texas hardware store's ‘electric hammer’ nails it online

"We've had to get very creative to survive amongst the giants," Wiley told WFAA.

Author:
Bradley Blackburn

Published:
10:16 PM CDT April 10, 2018

Updated:
10:17 PM CDT April 10, 2018

CHICO, Texas -- Galen Wiley picked up a hammer and built something pretty remarkable, a viral video that has now been seen more than 13 million times.

Wiley, owner of Wiley Hardware, is a guy with a sharp wit and a lot of personality, and he said he started creating videos to help his small business survive.

"We've had to get very creative to survive amongst the giants," Wiley told WFAA.

Wiley Hardware has been a fixture on Chico's main square for decades. The business was founded by Galen's grandfather, and he plans to pass it along to his son who now helps manage the store.

The business is off the main road in Chico, which only has a 1,000 residents to begin with, so to help get more eyeballs on his business, he began to turn to Facebook. Last month, he grabbed his son Eric and a few items from around the store and came up with a video.

"He just handed me his iPhone, and we recorded it," Eric Wiley recalled.

It took just one take, a minute and two seconds long. But Wiley's "electric hammer" nailed it.

His ridiculous video has now been seen millions of times. Wiley Hardware has gotten phone calls from as far away as Australia, and some admirers have even posted their own versions of the electric hammer.

"Just make ‘em laugh. And it worked. Just do something dumb," Wiley said, explaining his comedy secrets.

Wiley said that while some have claimed he got the idea from a Simpson's episode, the truth is that he's been making the joke for decades. He once gave a golden "electric hammer" to his grandfather back in the 70's.

"It's not so much about the hammer, it's about the delivery," Wiley said.

And now, he's given the same president to millions of fans. It's not a complicated device, and he says it's not complicated why it makes people smile.

"Everybody wants a good laugh these days, everybody's stressed out," he said. "That's why, we think, people are going to come where they feel good."